Latest update:
On 17 May 2017, officials from the European Commission (EC) and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) met in Brussels to discuss issues related to aviation security and safety, with a particular focus on a possible expansion of the restrictions on the carriage of large electronic devices to include flights from Europe to the US. Representatives from seven states (FR, DE, UK, ES, IT, NL and Ireland) representing the majority of the traffic to the US also attended the meeting.
The key takeaways from the meeting are:
· The EC provided an update on the actions already taken by the EU to address security across Europe.
· DHS indicated it is considering expanding the restrictions to European airports, but that no firm decision to do so has been made.
· DHS will base its decision to expand the restrictions on what technology is available at European airports to detect threats and on known intelligence of people travelling through Europe to the US with the intention of committing attacks.
· If a decision is made, States will be given advance notice (approx. 3 weeks) before the restrictions are actually applied.
· DHS gave no indication as to the scope of the expansion throughout Europe, whether additional measures would be implemented, or whether it is considering expanding the restrictions to additional regions around the globe.
· US and EU officials are scheduled to meet again in Washington, DC the week of 22nd May; and the issue is expected to be on the agenda when President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker meet before the G7 Summit on 24 May. No decision to expand the restrictions will be made before the G7 meeting.
· The EC indicated that a ban on the EU side to mirror the US is not being considered.
· The EC also recommended that the industry should prepare for an eventual expansion and develop and share contingency plans.
· The EC raised the issue of safety and requested that it be discussed further before an expansion is implemented.
Obviously, the US decision to expand the current restrictions on large electronic devices is very fluid. We will continue to monitor this issue closely and will be sure to provide an update as soon as any additional information is available.